Interrater Reliability of Palpation of Three-Dimensional Segmental Motion of the Lumbar Spine

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to evaluate interrater reliability of a specific palpatory test to assess the three-dimensional (3-D) mobility of L4-L5. Subjects included 17 men and 37 women with a mean age of 24 years (range 20-39 years) who were tested independently by three manual physical therapists with a mean of 15 years of experience. Testers performed 3-D motion testing of the L4-L5 spinal segment in a non-weight-bearing position. Interrater reliability was assessed with Cohen's Kappa statistics, using three pair-wise comparisons for determination of the direction (right or left) of lateral flexion leading to the greatest amount of segmental rotation. Percent agreement ranges were 46.3% to 62.9%, with Kappa scores ranging from −0.16 to 0.04, respectively. The palpatory test demonstrated poor to slight strength of interrater reliability. Further examination of a symptomatic population and/or other age categories is recommended. This study suggests that quantitative manual palpatory assessment...